LAUREL MASSÉ FANSITE: Laurel goes back to Yale

20.7.08

Laurel goes back to Yale

SIXTH ANNUAL

CABARET CONFERENCE AT YALE UNIVERSITY

JULY 25 – AUGUST 3, 2008

The Cabaret Conference at Yale University is being developed in conjunction with the Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theater. Several conference sessions will be held in the facilities of the Yale School of Drama/Yale Repertory Theater, including the recently opened New Theater.

Alexander C. Kafka of Washington DC’s national publication The Chronicle of Higher Education quotes Dean James Bundy of the Yale School of Drama, proclaiming the Cabaret Conference at Yale University to be “consonant with our core work.”

The Sixth Annual Cabaret Conference At Yale University will be held July 25 - August 3, 2006, and is an internationally focused, nine-day teaching program that offers an intensive look at the art of cabaret performance technique, and trains professionals for the live entertainment industry. The Great American Songbook will be addressed and promoted in its entirety, from its origins in the late 19th century through the classic pop standards of the 1930s and 40s to today’s contemporary cabaret, musical theater, jazz, pop and classical music.

Our students have come from across the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

The award-winning faculty, and renowned consultants, will guide thirty-six students in a collaborative process of critical refining and honing. The conference will feature classes and lectures covering cabaret performance technique, acting for singers, lyric interpretation, focus and concentration, act structure, act writing, material research, and comedic development, to musical director and director relations, arranging, orchestration, composer/lyricist relations, and image consultation. Examine the final stages of act presentation through club relations, marketing, press and public relations, to the technical language of light and sound, representation, booking, management and personal networking; with an emphasis on integration into the international live entertainment community.

Public performances allow the students to observe first-hand the performance techniques of professionals in the industry, while continuing to study those of their peers on a daily performance basis. At the Cabaret Conference Curtain Call the students will perform, demonstrating what they have accomplished in their nine days at the Cabaret Conference at Yale University.

Our prestigious 2008 faculty currently includes: Tovah Feldshuh, Jason Graae, Carol Hall, George Hall, Laurel Massé, Sally Mayes, Sharon McNight, Erv Raible, Fred Voelpel, and Julie Wilson; piano faculty includes Ron Abel, Tex Arnold, Michael Orland, Alex Rybeck and Paul Trueblood.

The conference consultants/lecturers include: Fred Voelpel (image consultant), Tex Arnold (part singing, harmonies and back-up vocals), Matt Berman (light and sound technician), George Hall (English Music Hall), David Finkle (reviewer for Back Stage, trade publication), Michael Kerker (ASCAP, Director of Musical Theater and Cabaret).

The Cabaret Conference is held on the historic Yale University campus in New Haven, Connecticut USA, renowned as one of the world’s finest educational facilities, and for its spectacular architecture, world-class museums and libraries.

Housing for the Cabaret Conference at Yale University is in Yale’s new Swing Dormitory, and breakfast, lunch and dinner will be taken in the baronial Tudor Dining Hall of Saybrook College or the Eero Sarrinen designed Morse College dining hall.

Auditions will be held in: New York, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, London UK, Los Angeles, Minneapolis - St. Paul, New Orleans, Seattle, Toronto and Washington DC. Audition cities subject to change. See attached.

To schedule an audition or for additional information contact Erv Raible, Executive/Artistic Director or Pam Tate, Executive Assistant at 212-629-2000 or visit our website at:

www.TheCabaretConferenceAtYale.com

Use Only This Number To Contact Us212-629-2000

LIVE: JaLaLa @ The Egg, 6/5/10

The name JaLaLa is a clever use of the first two letters of the first names of the three internationally acclaimed songbirds fronting the fabulous trio.

Janis Siegel, Laurel Masse and Lauren Kinhan are certainly no strangers to the jazz community. Their considerable vocal talents have long been an integral part of such world-renowned ensembles as Manhattan Transfer (Siegel & Masse) and the New York Voices (Kinhan).

Last Saturday night, vocal sparks ignited the pyrotechnic vocal-fun at The Egg in Albany when these three distinct voices joined forces to sing, swing and scat their way through an uninterrupted set of originals, American jazz, Broadway standards and the classic Johnny Mercer songbook. (JaLaLa’s debut album is a tribute titled, “That Old Mercer Magic!”)

Backing the three chanteuses was a crack rhythm section featuring bassist Steve LaSpina, drummer Deric Dickens and long-time Manhattan Transfer music director/pianist Yaron Gershovsky.

http://www.nippertown.com

Birdland

JALALA = Janis Siegel, Laurel Masse and Lauren Kinhan…three gals who know from vocal groups. Janis has been with the Manhattan Transfer since the beginning. Laurel was part of the original Transfer. Lauren is one of the New York Voices. Happily, they have joined forces for this fabulous vocal klatch called JaLaLa. They sold-out Birdland on Monday night, showing off with their signature harmonies and gorgeous solo vocals, but a dazzling highlight came during the encore. The trio had planned a re-interpretation of the Lambert, Hendricks & Ross masterpiece, “It’s Sand, Man,” but Janis had spied the song’s creater and King of Vocalese, Mr. Jon Hendricks, sneak into the club to catch the act. They invited him onstage (left) to add some extra-special hip to the scene, making it one of the more historic moments we’ve witnessed! Thanks, Ja, La, and La for an amazing night!

http://castpartynyc.com/

LAUREL MASSÉ

Laurel Massé, founding member of Grammy award-winning vocal group Manhattan Transfer, toured internationally for seven years with the group and recorded five albums. In 1979, a serious automobile accident forced her departure. After two years of convalescence, she began touring again both in the States and in Europe. She has released four solo CDs. The first two, Alone Together and Easy Living, both hit the Billboard Jazz charts; the third, Again, was a People magazine pick. Feather and Bone, her 2000 release, was picked by audiophile magazine The Absolute Sound as "a recording of extraordinary musical and sonic value". In 2002 she released Ballads.

Coming Out nº1 in Europe

COMING OUT/BRITISH BPI GOLD LP AWARD 1977

Coming Out sold millions of copies in Europe, where a single from the album, "Chanson D'Amour," hit #1 in France and in England, a chart-topper on both sides of the English Channel. On the strength of "Chanson D'Amour," the Manhattan Transfer toured Europe again, including a show at the MIDEM music business convention in Cannes. In a 1977 interview, Alan Paul remembered how that song was chosen and recorded. "The song was written in 1957. We'd been recording all day and we hadn't gotten that far. Just as we were about to leave, Laurel shouted, 'Hey wait a minute, I've got an idea.' She used an Edith Piaf sound in her voice and we recorded it in one take. She wanted to get a romantic French feel behind it."

The Manhattan Transfer Show/CBS TV

Because of the lack of rehearsal time to learn new material, the Manhattan Transfer mined their catalog for over 30 different songs during the show's four-week run - they went through all their recorded material, the stuff that hadn't been recorded yet, enough music to record a new studio album every Sunday night. "We didn't want to get picked up for another season," said Tim, "because we knew that we couldn't do another season. These shows are put together in a week, and this is why television is what it is.

PASTICHE

Pastiche (Atlantic 19163), lived up to its name - a mixture of various musical styles and genres. By this time, the Manhattan Transfer were experimenting with more open voicings and less block harmony, adding new depth to their vocal precision. Between Pastiche's list of Cole Porter and Duke Ellington songs, the Manhattan Transfer collaborated for the first time with JonHendricks, the vocal jazz legend and one-third of the Lambert, Hendricks and Ross vocal jazz group. The collaboration, "Four Brothers," was originally written by Jimmy Giuffre for Woody Herman's Second Herd. For this song, the Manhattan Transfer replicated - using only their voices and Jon Hendricks' lyrics - the melodies of Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Herbie Steward and Serge Chaloff, Woody Herman's sax section.

Pastiche Nº10 in UK and nº 1 in Norway

Pastiche sold well in Europe, but could climb no higher than #66 on the American album charts. Tim, Alan, Janis and Laurel toured Europe, playing concerts in support of Pastiche, and listening to different music in anticipation of using some new ideas for a new album. "We had just come back from Europe," said Alan, "we were in Europe for a couple of months touring, and we were scheduled to open in the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, and we had all these new ideas and things that we wanted to present to the public."

THE BEGINNINGS

The Manhattan Transfer re-emerged as a four-piece, with Janis Siegel (alto), Laurel Massé (soprano), and Alan Paul (tenor), who found each other in a series of happy accidents. Tim Hauser was driving a cab at the time, and picked up passenger Laurel Masse; they got to talking. Tim met Janis Siegel through a drummer acquaintance. Janis had been performing at the Greenwich Village coffeehouse scene with a group called "Laurel Canyon." Alan Paul had been appearing in the musical "Grease!" (Laurel's boyfriend was a musician in the production, and referred him).